


Rookie Mistake

by enigmaticblue



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Assault, Cop Blair Sandburg, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 00:24:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13135299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: Blair gets through his time in uniform mostly unscathed; the same can’t be said for Jim.





	Rookie Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the hc_bingo prompt “assault.” So, all of my research indicates that you have to do time as a patrol officer before you can become a detective. Then again, this is TS, so I’m going to pretend I didn’t just do that research and you can get promoted within months, rather than years.
> 
> This could be read as a prequel to [Hold On Hope](https://archiveofourown.org/works/254995), but it stands on his own.

The day Blair put on the uniform, he felt a little bit like that time he’d jumped out of an airplane after Jim—in free fall, unmoored, exhilarated. Standing in front of the mirror in his blue uniform, the one he’ll be wearing for at least the next six months, Blair thought of the last few weeks, and the blood, sweat, and tears he’d paid to get through the Academy.

 

Grad school had been grueling, and the Academy had been both easier and harder. He thought maybe he understood the thin, blue line a little better now. When you go through that sort of experience, it bonded you to others who faced the same hardships. It was basic psychology, and Blair knew that, but it was a hard pull to resist.

 

The knock on the door was perfunctory, and Jim stuck his head into Blair’s room. “Hey. You ready? You don’t want to be late.”

 

“Yeah, it’s cool,” Blair replied. “I’m ready.”

 

Jim’s smile turned a bit wistful. “Looking good, Chief. You’re going to make a great cop.”

 

That comment eased something inside Blair. “Thanks, man.”

 

“Nothing but the truth,” Jim said easily. “Let’s get a move on.”

 

Jim was the only family Blair had at the graduation ceremony. Naomi knew about it, but she was on one of her retreats, and she certainly wasn’t thrilled with Blair’s decision, even if she understood that her actions had set Blair out on this road.

 

Well, if Blair were to be honest, he’d done that himself when he’d failed to disguise Jim’s identity in his rough draft, or when he’d failed to secure his laptop. He probably should have been more careful, but he didn’t really regret it.

 

At least, he didn’t regret becoming a cop.

 

It turned out that Blair was wrong about not having family there, other than Jim, because most of Major Crimes turned up. Simon, Rafe, Joel, Megan, Henri, even Rhonda put in an appearance. Rafe and H had to go back on duty, and Rhonda had to get back to her kids, but Simon took them all out to dinner afterward and paid, and Jim bought the drinks, and Blair indulged because he’d start working the midnight shift come Monday.

 

Blair expected to get flack, but his dissertation was old news at this point, and he tried to keep his past life on the down low. Folks at the station knew he had a roommate, and that he was another cop, but in a town with a cost of living as high as Cascade’s, that wasn’t out of the ordinary.

 

He rode with an older woman, Terri Morris, who had been on the force for ten years, and once she knew he wasn’t going to be a dick, they got along just fine.

 

Blair was looking forward to getting to the end of his time in uniform, proving he had what it took to accept a detective shield in Major Crimes, but the work was dynamic and interesting, and never the same two days in a row.

 

Granted, he and Jim didn’t see much of each other these days, since Jim worked days, and Blair worked nights, but they passed each other occasionally, and Blair knew it was temporary.

 

And then, three months into his stint in uniform, Morris said, “Did you hear about the detective that got his ass handed to him?”

 

Blair frowned. “No. What about it?”

 

“Word is that local uniforms were slow to respond,” Morris replied. “They got official reprimands because this guy has been awarded pretty much every commendation under the sun.”

 

Blair got a sinking feeling. “Yeah? This paragon have a name?”

 

“Sure, Jim Ellison,” Morris replied, and then went silent. “Wait, isn’t that—”

 

“Yeah.” Blair cut her off. “He’s my friend.”

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding sincere. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

 

Blair nodded tightly. “What’s the word?”

 

Cops gossiped, and Blair wasn’t as plugged in as Morris was, not when she had a decade in service on him.

 

Morris hesitated. “Word is that he’s maybe gay, maybe a freak, maybe both.”

 

Blair closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “Well, you can tell them that he’s neither. He’s a really good guy who gave me a place to stay when I didn’t have one, and then let me hang around. He’s…”

 

“Yeah, I get it,” Morris said when Blair trailed off. “My TO was another woman, who had put up with all of the bullshit, and she looked out for me. Look, I’ll cover for you. You can leave early and check up on him.”

 

“Okay,” Blair said, because what else could he say? He needed to check on Jim, because he hadn’t seen him in two days what with the scheduling conflicts, but he also needed to finish out his shift.

 

“I’ll drop you by on the way back to the station and clock you out,” she said. “Assuming things don’t get too crazy.”

 

And maybe she thought Blair and Jim were sleeping together, but Blair didn’t care.

 

Although maybe he should.

 

Morris dropped Blair by the apartment a little before eight, because they caught a case late during the shift and had to file their reports. It wasn’t ideal, but he would hopefully catch Jim at home.

 

He got lucky, because Jim was in the kitchen when Blair entered, wearing a pair of sweatpants that hung low on his hips and no shirt. Blair could see the bruises on his back that said he took a couple of blows to the solar plexus, and he’d be lucky not to be pissing blood.

 

“Hey, man,” Blair called. “Do you have the day off?”

 

“Simon told me to take it easy today,” Jim replied without turning around. “Did someone tell you?”

 

Blair had no idea how Jim knew, but he didn’t see the point of lying. “Yeah, my training officer heard about it through the grapevine. The word is you got left hanging.”

 

“Well, they didn’t rush to my rescue,” Jim said wryly. “But I don’t think anybody could prove they had it out for me personally.”

 

Blair thought about what Morris said, about Jim maybe being a freak, maybe being gay, and didn’t know if he should say anything. “My TO seemed to think otherwise.”

 

“Cops gossip,” Jim said dismissively, turning around so that Blair could see the full extent of the damage.

 

There were more bruises on Jim’s abdomen, and his left eye was nearly swollen shut, and Blair cursed. “Shit. No wonder Simon gave you the day off.”

 

“I’m fine,” Jim insisted. “I’ve had worse.”

 

Blair didn’t know about that, but he didn’t dispute it. “Jim—”

 

“You’ve got to be wiped,” Jim said. “Why don’t you catch some z’s, and when you wake up, we can grab lunch, or whatever meal it is by that time.”

 

Blair knew he wasn’t going to get much more information out of Jim, not when Jim was busy pretending he was fine.

 

“Simon didn’t think you’d have to spend much more time in uniform,” Jim said out of the blue. “He thought six months.”

 

“Can you partner with someone else in the meantime?” Blair asked.

 

Jim shrugged. “Megan and Joel both had court, and it was a hot lead. I followed up, and they got a few hits in. I’ll be more careful in the future.” He grinned. “It was a rookie mistake.”

 

Blair wanted to say that Jim shouldn’t have to be more careful, that he should be able to count on backup, but they both knew that there were times when that just wasn’t true.

 

“It’s not your fault,” Jim insisted. “I know what they say about me, and you don’t need to take that on. Just focus on being a great cop.”

 

Blair nodded. “Yeah. You too.”

 

But Blair knew that he would have to do everything in his power to get back to Major Crimes, and sooner rather than later.

 

Someone had to look out for Jim.


End file.
